CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART SUBMISSIONS!

We invite all primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and whose schools community. Selected winners will be published in a 2014 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise
Awareness in mangrove areas. Help us launch this program in your school by contacting science and art teachers in your area. e-mail: monicagquarto@olympus.net or mangroveap@olympus.net

We share this video from the group “Ecologists In Action” (In Spanish) - Enjoy – VIEW VIDEO

MANGROVE ISSUES

MANGROVE BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library CIP QK938.C6 581.75109599 2012 P220120602) is now available. aves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture.SEE POSTER and order instructions

Note to Our Readers:We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, occassionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to locate the original story.

Dear Reader It's that time of year again! We are doing our end-of-year request to our members to support our work. We have just learned that a generous MAP supporter is willing to donate up to $10,000 as a matching gift fund to match your donations. Please help us reach our goal of raising that $10,000 in matching funds now! Thus far, we have raised $2,000, so we are now one fifth of the way there! But time is running out, as we have omly until December 31st to raise the matching funds! Please do take this challenge and donate to MAP today. Help MAP stay effective in these changing times.

Charitable deductions on the chopping block

William Bigelow at Breitbart News notes that “the White House is pushing hard for reducing, or even eliminating, the tax deduction that is given when one makes a charitable donation,”. READ MORE

Donate to MAP via Paypal: Giving could never be easier

AFRICA

AFRICA

Mali’s Lush Wetlands Drained by Foreign Agribusiness
MALI - Mayor Daouda Sanankoua had traveled overnight by boat to see me, through flooded forests and submerged banks of hippo grass. There was no other way. Sanankoua's domain, the district of Deboye in the heart of Mali in West Africa, is on the edge of the Sahara. Yet Sanankoua's homeland is mostly water. His people live by catching fish, grazing cattle, and harvesting crops in one of the world's largest and most fecund wetlands, a massive inland delta created by the meandering waters of one of Africa's mightiest waterways, the Niger River. Nearly two million Malians live on the delta. "Everything here depends on the water," said the mayor. "But"—and here he paused gravely, pushed his glasses down an elegant nose, and began waving a long finger—"the government is taking our water. They are giving it to foreign farmers. They don't even ask us." What is happening here in Mali is happening all over the world. People who depend on the natural flow of water, and the burst of nature that comes with it, are losing out as powerful people upstream divert the water. READ MORE

ASIA

Indonesia's forests under renewed threat – experts
INDONESIA - Indonesia’s dwindling forests and an ambitious plan by the country’s president to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the world’s third largest emitter are under threat due to the struggle between national and local governments for authority over precious forest land, environmental activists told AlertNet. In February, Indonesia’s Constitution Court struck down a controversial clause of the Forestry Law, saying it was unconstitutional for the central government to designate forest zones without proper mapping, after six plaintiffs, including five district heads (known as “bupatis”) from Central Kalimantan, a province in the Indonesian portion of Borneo, asked for a review of the law. This has left everyone wondering what would happen to millions of hectares of land that have been designated as forest zone but have not been mapped. Currently, only 14.2 million of some 130 million hectares are adequately mapped. READ MORE

No growth for Thai shrimp exports in 2013
THAILAND - Thailand's shrimp exports will probably post no growth next year due to sluggish global demand, especially in Europe and the US. Somsak Paneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, said export volume is expected to remain at 350,000 metric tons (MT) next year. Overall shrimp production is projected at 540,000 MT this year, down 10 percent from 600,000 MT in 2011, due to diseases known as early mortality syndrome and white spot syndrome. Exports have also declined by 10 percent this year. However, Somsak said export value would remain unchanged at 100 billion baht this year. He said price trends in 2013 would be about the same as this year _ THB 140 for shrimp sizes of 70 units per kilogram. Global shrimp production is expected to total 2.02 million MT this year, down 13 percent from last year, because of the spread of emerging shrimp diseases and climate changes. READ MORE

Thailand's small-scale fishermen turn marine advocates, using small boats and special nets to preserve ecosystem
THAILAND - The woefully depleted marine ecosystem of Thailand's Pattaya Bay has gained an unlikely ally, as a group of Naklua fishermen are repairing the damage done by overfishing by using smaller boats and special nets. The Naklua Small Fishing Boats group is comprised of about 25 local captains who are hoping to save the waters inside Pattaya’s Near Islands by moderating catches and building artificial reefs to replenish fish and coral. Sunya Phatsaena, a consultant to the group, said the fishermen have been sticking to waters a kilometer or less off shore for two years, using biodegradable nets with larger holes to catch only what they need. At the same time, they’ve been working with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources to weave and deploy structures made of rope that can be transformed by hardened coral into artificial reefs. Fisherman Sombun Jankua said the new nets are made of bone byproducts and last only a year, compared with as many as six years for synthetic nets. But when nets are lost, they don’t suffocate coral reefs or entangle fish for long periods of time, as do the artificial versions. The problem, he said is that “most fishermen opt to use nets that offer the most convenience and return on investment.” READ MORE

Two arrests as Bangladeshis protests GCM mine plans in Phulbari
BANGLADESH - Three people were killed and over 200 injured on 26 August 2006 when paramilitary troops fired on a massive protest of some 80,000 demonstrators in Phulbari. The protesters were opposing a proposed open pit coal mine in the north-west of Bangladesh that the Bangladesh subsidiary of GCM Resources plc, Asia Energy, intends to implement. The project threatens to destroy the homes, lands, and water sources of as many as 220,000 people, and forcibly evict an estimated 130,000 people. The project has generated grave concern at national and international levels including the United Nations and among human rights and environmental organisations worldwide. With their concerns about impending and grave human rights violations unaddressed, seven Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations issued a joint UN press release on 28 February, 2012, calling for an immediate halt to the project on the grounds that it threatens the fundamental human rights of hundreds of thousands of people, including entire villages of indigenous people, and poses “an immediate threat to safety and standards of living.” READ MORE

Vietnam shrimp farmers mull Myanmar venture
VIETNAM - A group of Vietnamese shrimp farmers has voiced an interest in setting up a 500-acre farm in Yangon Region following a visit to Myanmar, a Myanmar Fisheries Federation official said. U Han Tun said during the weekly fisheries federation meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 11 that the Vietnamese delegation discussed a possible venture with the Myanmar Shrimp Association on Sunday, reports The Myanmar Times. “They joined us at an exhibition of livestock and fisheries products on December 7 and 8,” he said of the Vietnamese delegation. “They were very interested in prawn farming in Myanmar because it’s a relatively undeveloped sector but one that they understand,” he said. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Storm surge reduction by mangroves
USA - Storm surges occur when high winds and low atmospheric pressure raise water levels at the coast, causing sea water to surge onto the land. They are a major threat to low-lying coastal areas and their inhabitants. The largest storm surges are caused by tropical cyclones (also called hurricanes and typhoons in different regions); peak water levels can exceed 7 m in height, and can result in extensive flooding, loss of life and damage to property. Global climate change may result in increased storm surge flooding in some areas, through intensification of the cyclones driving the storm surges and as a result of sea level rise.Mangroves can reduce storm surge water levels by slowing the flow of water and reducing surface waves. Therefore mangroves can potentially play a role in coastal defence and disaster risk reduction, either alone or alongside other risk reduction measures such as early warning systems and engineered coastal defence structures (e.g. sea walls). Measured rates of storm surge reduction through mangroves range from 5 to 50 centimetres water level reduction per kilometre of mangrove width. In addition, surface wind waves are expected to be reduced by more than 75% over one kilometre of mangroves. READ MORE

LAST WORD

A MAP INTERN SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE
It is nine o clock in the morning, Vienkapang road, Trang city. I arrive at MAP´s Asia office feeling a little dizzy after a short night and a hurried, unfinished breakfast (I still can´t get a whole night of sleep without waking up – I don´t know if it is the climate or the noises I haven´t been able to grow accustomed to in the past three days of my freshly started internship…). Today I´m going to leave the office for my first field trip. The destination is Thunggor, Bawi. It will take us a good hour car ride headed to the south. It is just me (Marc, fresh intern from Germany), Ning (MAP Asia office field coordinator) and Mr. Sompoch (Freelancer and aquaculture expert) who will be on this field trip. At the site we will meet a member of the DMCR (department of marine coastal resources) and the pond owner. MAP is starting a restoration project in Thunggor, Bawi with the objective to rehabilitate an abandoned shrimp pond with the tool of EMR (ecological mangrove restoration) and to turn a neighbouring abandoned shrimp pond into a sustainable aquaculture site where indigenous vegetation and compensational livelihood for the villagers shall go hand in hand in the future READ MORE

~ If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

Please cut and paste these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern, as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage correct action.

We,
at Mangrove Action Project are deeply shocked and troubled by the news
concerning the violent eviction of local ancestral resource users from
the mangrove ecosystem in Bilsa village, Muisne, Esmeralda province. The
high-handed police action of burning the villagers’ homes and their
assets, even without allowing them time to take away their personal
belongings, and destroying their livelihoods and community projects,
such as small scale farming and crab harvesting, is highly questionable
and reprehensible. There was no mercy even for children and elderly
people, confirming that it was planned with a cruel intent. This action
amounts to unwarranted violation of the human dignity and rights of the
people concerned. It is an action in violation of the Constitution of
Ecuador and international human rights treaties.These
communities do not represent a threat to the mangrove ecosystem but are
rather stewards and guardians of this vital ecosystem, as their
economic activities are in line with sustainable use and conservation,
and their presence prevents external destructive activities (such as
industrial shrimp farming) from entering the ecosystem. They should be
supported and encouraged instead of humiliated and evicted.We
express our solidarity with the affected people of Bilsa and we urge
you to use your position to investigate the action of the police and
those responsible for planning this vile action and bring them to
justice. The human rights and dignity of the Bilsa community must be
respected and restored as soon as possible.We
would also like to take this opportunity to request information about
other evictions of mangrove-dependent local communities that have
recently taken place in Guabo, El Oro Province; in Verdum, Manabi
Province; and in Pechiche, Montanita, Santa Elena Province. Looking forward to receiving a response from you. Thank you for your attention. For the Mangroves And the Mangrove Communities!Alfredo Quarto, Executive DirectorMangrove Action Projectmangroveap@olympus.netwww.mangroveactionproject.orgcc: Mr Rafael Correa Delgado, President of Ecuador presidencia.audiencia@presidencia.gob.ecDr Fernando Cordero, President of the National Assembly of Ecuador: fernando.cordero@asambleanacional.gob.ecMr Linder Altafuya, Assemblyman for the Esmeralda Province: linder.altafuya@asambleanacional.gob.ecDr Hugo Oliva, UnderSecretary of Land: holiva@magap.gob.ecasistente del ministro de agricultura: lsolorzano@magap.gob.ec

It is nine o clock in the morning, Vienkapang road, Trang city. I arrive at MAP´s Asia officefeeling a little dizzy after a short night and a hurried, unfinished breafast (I still can´t geta whole night of sleep without waking up – I don´t know if it is the climate or the noisesI haven´t been able to grow accustomed to in the past three days of my freshly startedinternship…). Today I´m going to leave the office for my first field trip. The destination isThunggor, Bawi. It will take us a good hour car ride headed to the sout. It is just me (Marc,fresh intern from Germany), Ning (MAP Asia office field coordinator) and Mr. Sompoch(Freelancer and aquaculture expert) who will be on this field trip. At the site we will meeta member of the DMCR (department of marine coastal resources) and the pond owner.MAP is starting a restoration project in Thunggor, Bawi with the objective to rehabilitate anabandoned shrimp pond with the tool of EMR (ecological mangrove restoration) and to turna neighbouring abandoned shrimp pond into a sustainable aquaculture site where indigenousvegetation and compensational livelihood for the villagers shall go hand in hand in the future.

After the ride with Mr. Sompoch´s pickup truck I now know why there are so many trucks onthe streets of southern Thailand. You can load them heavily with all kinds of stuff (melons,furniture, motorcycles etc.) and they come in handy when roads are being rebuilt or simplyend in rural areas and it is going “off road”. After one hour our aspahlt road is alternated byred soil and we wangle in slow speed through an area with (compared to german standards)more or less improvised shelters and small houses. We transverse a rubber plant and come toa white storage building for shrimp food. We get off the car and the sun is burning down onus. We meet the owner of the abandoned shrimp ponds and after a while a staff member of theDMCR joins us, too. As I don´t understand thai language I just follow Ning and the othersinto the area where the former shrimp ponds are situated. Some little crabs and other tinycreatures vanish into the holes in the ground quickly as we apprear and suddenly I see them:the mangroves ! I am standing on the dyke of the abandoned shrimp pond and I can see themon the other side of the creek a few meters away from me J Ning pulls out a little bookwhere she immediately shows me the species that are growing around us (e.g. Ceriopsdecandra, Lumnitzera littorea, Rhizophora mucranata, Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea).Actually, if I hadn´t photographed the book pages I would not have been able to recite thelatin names for this narration :_) It is hot and I am very happy to have taken my sunhat withme. Carrying my totally overlaoded backpack is a struggle and I deposit it in the shade of acoconut tree after a few minutes of carrying. I take a group picture of Ning and the others.After that I explore the site on my own – given the task to gather the GPS (Global positioningsystem) coordinates of the two abandoned shrimp ponds. It feels good to be in the field on myown. I see some insects that I have never seen before and try to catch them with the lens ofmy camera. But butterflies and dragonflies aren´t easy targets I have to learn. Anyway, I haveto get these coordinates and start with pond #1. Every step should be made carefully as this isnew terrain for me and I don´t want Ning to pull me out of the mud later on. The ponds looklike scars in the landscape. They appear like plain mud deserts compared to the thickmangrove woods nearby. Suddenly I cry out and hectically scretch my leg. “What´s that ???”I ask myself. Then I feel something tickling me beneath my trousers and running up my leg.Immediately I roll up one leg of my pants to see, what is bothering me: it´s a large red ant.And it has strong mandibles to bite anyone who intrudes into its territory. Unfortunately thislittle fella is not alone out here and after a few more attacks on my legs, arms and other partsof my body I decide to zip off my trousers to be able to kick them off right in the beginningbefore they can climb up higher on my body . After a while I know to avoid the hotspots of

these little creatures and can proceed with collecting my GPS data. Half an hour later (ormaybe even an hour or more including various ant-removal manoeuvres) I have taken acoordinate in every corner of the two ponds and my longsleeve is already soaked up withsweat. There are no clouds in the sky and I really need to take a rest. I pull off my longsleeveto cool down the body a little bit and take shelter in the shade of a coconut tree nearby thepond dyke. Hungry as I am now, I finish the leftovers of my breakfast and enjoy the water Ibrought with me. A light fence is right in front of me. On the opposite side of it is an activeshrimp pond. I see a little shed made from dried leaf and under it an old, oily engine with achain and some gears. They are the motors for the aerators in the ponds. The ground belowthis archaic looking piece of metal is pitch black (although some white powder can bee seenat the surrounding of it. Perhaps the powder has the function to soak up the pollutants…Atleast I hope so…). I wonder how much oil and fuel have infiltrated into the ground during theuse of this machine. Some plastic bottle (I guess it´s one that contains motor oil) is standingright next to it. I feel slightly depressed. Fossil fuels are burnt to press oxygen into a waterwhere animals are bred to mainly feed hungry western, overnourished stomachs…Leavingbehind a devastated area with degraded soil and maybe even accumulated pollutants(e.g.antibiotics). What a shame. And after this exploitation of nature the shrimp farmers justmove on to another place, cut down the mangrove and repeat the whole tragedy again. Whereis the love or at least the respect for mother nature in this behaviour I ask myself ???Unfortunately, I can´t see much of it at that moment. But perhaps my point of view is narrowminded (e.g. the livelihood situation of the villagers might not be taken sufficiently intoconsideration here). At the end of my internship I may have a more differentiated one on thistopic, I hope

MANGROVE ISSUES

MANGROVE BOOK – J. Primavera
The book Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines by J.H. Pimavera and R.B. Sadaba (ISBN 978-971-9931-01-0; National Library CIP QK938.C6 581.75109599 2012 P220120602) is now available. aves, flowers, fruits, utilization and silviculture.SEE POSTER and order instructions

Note to Our Readers:We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, occassionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to locate the original story.

FEATURED STORYMangrove Planting Research at Eyuyu Island, Fujian Province
CHINA - China Mangrove Conservation Network (CMCN) is a non-governmental organization which devotes itself to mangrove protection. Founded in 2001, CMCN has successfully united various forces - mangrove reserves, communities, schools, volunteer groups, NGOs, relative government agencies and mass media - as a network. Since 2003 CMCN started the mangrove restoration project and relevant basic scientific research programs. So far CMCN has organized or participated in planting activities hundreds of times and has planted more than 900,000 seedlings. During the process of mangrove restoration, CMCN has overcome many technical problems including tree species selection, management and cultivation. Summarizing the experience over the past ten years, CMCN has published a mangrove restoration instruction manual for public participants. However, there are still many challenges confronting mangrove restoration. READ MORE

AFRICA

Mangroves in UAE: A Unique Marine Ecosystem
UAE - The mangrove forests that cover thousands of hectares of land along the UAE shoreline form an integral part of the coastal ecosystem in the UAE. They provide a rich natural habitat and safe breeding grounds for several fish species, sea snakes, turtles and commercially important shrimp, snapper, grunt fish and sea bream. In fact, mangroves are natural habitats for 75% of all tropical juvenile commercial fish species in the world. Sea birds also find safe nesting and egg laying areas in the vast mangrove forests of the country. READ MORE

Al Gharbia initiative to preserve mangroves
UAE - An initiative to plant 10,000 mangrove saplings has been launched by the Western Region Development Council (WRDC) in Al Gharbia, or the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. The saplings are to be planted along the coast of Al Mirfa, which is already home to mangrove forests and is considered to be one of the areas in the emirate best suited for such afforestation initiatives. The initiative brings together the Western Region Development Council and Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) in a partnership. A similar programme was implemented in 2011 by the WRDC to conserve the mangroves. Mangroves comprise a class of trees that grow in low-salinity water. Such vegetation provides a natural habitat for the breeding of many fish species, sea snakes, turtles and other marine creatures. VIEW SOURCE

Forest negotiations get stuck at climate talk
QATAR - Focus on the actions needed to reduce deforestation, not on complicated measurement and verification processes, urges the Accra Caucus. A bid to secure a deal to save the worlds remaining forests has stalled, on the issues of monitoring emissions and the lack of secure funding , says the Accra Caucus coalition of groups tracking the UN negotiations in Doha. The scheme known as REDD+, (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation), calls on wealthier countries to pay developing countries to keep their forests standing as way of combating climate change. Many of these forested countries have already started putting into place strategies to tackle deforestation, yet if funding dries up, the entire programme could be derailed. READ MORE

ASIA

Indian children wish for a greener future
One-third of children across the globe are concerned about pollution, and over a quarter of children in India want to participate in afforestation activities, a global survey on children's hopes, aspirations and fears revealed recently. The Small Voices, Big Dreams survey revealed 27 percent of Indian children, more than the global average of 22 percent, want to contribute to environment by planting more saplings, ChildFund India, part of the NGO ChildFund International, said in a statement. It showed 21 percent of Indian children worried most about lack of sanitation, followed by pollution (17 percent), lack of drinking water (14 percent) and deforestation (11 percent). READ MORE

Phulbari Coal Mine News Updates
BAGLADESH - In the Phulbari area of Northwest Bangladesh, communities have come together to raise their voices against the proposed Phulbari Coal Project--which threatens to turn this fertile agricultural region into an open-pit coal mine. If implemented, the mine would have devastating environmental impacts and ultimately displace up to 220,000 people. READ MORE

Indonesia banks on aquaculture for growth
INDONESIA - Indonesia will pursue aquaculture development in order to increase fish exports, a minister said. Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo said that aquaculture is a viable solution to boost revenue amid decreasing populations in the world’s oceans. In Indonesia, the quota for commercial fishing is five million tons a year out of a population of six million tons of fish. Meanwhile, aquaculture production reached 7.9 million tons in 2011 with an estimated potential of 40 million tons a year. Sharif said that aquaculture is predictable, thus making it more attractive than commercial fishing. “Aquaculture will spearhead the ministry [program] in the future. There are plenty of available lands and shallow water that can be utilized for aquaculture,” he said. READ MORE

Aogu Wetland Forest Park opens in Chiayi County
TAIWAN - Aogu Wetland Forest Park, a 1,470-hectare site in Chiayi County’s Dongshi Township in southwestern Taiwan, opened Nov. 24. “Wetlands are the lungs and kidneys of the Earth,” ROC Premier Sean C. Chen said at the opening ceremony. “They are crucial to regulating the environment, so must be protected and put to wise use.” Taiwan will soon have more such reserves, Chen said. A wetlands protection bill drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior and reviewed three times by ministers without portfolio is set to be sent to the Cabinet next week, he added. READ MORE

India disputes Japan's shrimp standards
INDIA - India has raised with the World Trade Organization what it calls “unscientific and unjustified” health standards imposed by Japan on its shrimp exports. The move comes as more than 140 containers of frozen Indian shrimps await clearance at Japanese ports. Japan, which has recently lowered the acceptable level of ethoxyquin in shrimps, has since August rejected seven Indian consignments of the seafood. Ethoxyquin is an anti-oxidant widely used in shrimp feed. “We have raised the issue with the sanitary & phytosanitary committee of the WTO. We believe the new standards that have been imposed are unscientific and unjustified,” a commerce department official told ET. According to industry estimates, export of shrimps from Odisha and West Bengal has fallen by up to 50 percent in the last four to five months due to the Japanese restrictions. In 2011-12, shrimps accounted for half of India's total seafood export of USD 3.5 billion. READ MORE

AMERICAS

Restoring and Managing Mangrove Ecosystems in a changing world
GUYANA - The Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the University of Guyana (UG) have the pleasure to invite mangrove researchers, restoration practitioners and managers to participate in the 1st Guyana Mangrove Forum “Restoring and Managing Mangrove Ecosystems in a changing world” which will be held in Georgetown, Guyana, April 11-13, 2013. The Guyana Mangrove Forum is an important event of the Guyana Mangrove Restoration Project (GMRP), a project co-funded by the Government of Guyana and the European Union. The GMRP aims to respond to climate change and to mitigate its effects through the protection, rehabilitation and wise use of Guyana's mangrove ecosystems. The objective of the Guyana Mangrove Forum is to build local and regional capacity in mangrove restoration and management, continue to raise the public profile of the values of mangroves in Guyana and to bring together national, regional and international researchers to share experience and knowledge of the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems. READ MORE

EUROPE

Securing the Future Of Mangroves
BELGIUM - The UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health has published a policy brief titled “Securing the Future of Mangroves”. The brief is based on the World Atlas of Mangroves and describes both the current status of mangroves, including their economic value, as well as threats to mangrove ecosystems and considerations for good management practices. Continued loss of mangrove forests will have serious ecological and socio-economic impacts, especially on coastal communities that rely directly on mangrove products and services for their livelihoods. The effects of human activities on mangroves have far exceeded those of natural events over the past few decades. Economic development, rapid population growth and high population densities in coastal areas are the main drivers for mangrove degradation and loss. Although causes for loss can differ substantially amongst regions and countries, aquaculture has been the major global driver for mangrove conversion, and still represents one of the greatest global threats. Already the environmental toll on mangroves and other coastal ecosystems from aquaculture has been severe. READ MORE

LAST WORD

What? No last word? Submit your comments for our next issue

~ If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

Please cut and paste these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern, as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage correct action.